Superstar Cruises has begun reaching out to company booked on upcoming voyages of Superstar Ascent to tell them of a number of itinerary modifications. Most just lately, vacationers on the February 9, 2025 departure have realized they won’t be visiting Labadee, Haiti as deliberate, however as a substitute will go to an alternate port.
The impacted crusing is a 7-night roundtrip crusing from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The unique plan was to go to Bimini, Labadee, and Grand Cayman.
“As a result of a change in our itinerary planning for our winter 2024-2025 sailings, we’re eradicating our go to to Labadee, Haiti, on our Superstar Ascent February 9, 2025 crusing,” the e-mail notification learn. “We’ll now get pleasure from a go to to Cozumel, Mexico, on Day 4, with an prolonged keep in port, as a substitute of visiting Labadee.”
This implies Superstar Ascent will likely be in Cozumel on the identical day as initially deliberate for Labadee, and the rest of the ship’s itinerary stays unchanged.
The prolonged keep – from 7 a.m. till 6 p.m. – offers company loads of time to get pleasure from and discover the favored Mexican port of name. The lengthy go to can also allow extra intensive shore tour choices, reminiscent of visits to the enduring Chichen Itza on the Yucatan Peninsula. Precise shore tour choices accessible by way of Superstar Cruises will range primarily based on what will be organized for the go to date.
No precise motive has been given for eradicating Labadee from Superstar Ascent‘s crusing, however this follows one other latest change for the ship’s January 6, 2025 departure. That alteration additionally eliminated Labadee from the itinerary, however as a substitute substituted a go to to Falmouth, Jamaica.
The identical reasoning – “a change in our itinerary planning” – was given for that schedule change and port swap as nicely.
Cruise strains do sometimes shift ports and schedules as they steadiness operational wants and make sure that numerous ports is not going to be overcrowded for every go to. This helps give vacationers the absolute best expertise at every vacation spot they go to.
As a result of these itinerary modifications all contain Labadee, nevertheless, it’s also doable that the cruise line is making the choice out of security considerations. All port visits to Labadee have been cancelled since mid-March due to growing civil unrest and violence in Haiti.
Royal Caribbean Worldwide, additionally a part of the Royal Caribbean Group together with Superstar Cruises, has confirmed that every one Labadee visits as suspended not less than by way of September.
“Now we have suspended all visits to Labadee fleetwide by way of September 2024, and we proceed to watch the scenario with our International Safety & Intelligence staff. Please know that the protection and luxury of our company are at all times our highest precedence,” the notification on the cruise line’s web site states.
Whereas the cruise itineraries modified for Superstar Ascent are in January and February, it is vitally probably that security and safety are elements in making these modifications. The security of company and crew members are at all times a cruise line’s prime precedence.
Will Extra Itineraries Be Modified?
The 140,600-gross-ton, Edge-class Superstar Ascent is presently within the Mediterranean for the summer time season, however will transfer to Fort Lauderdale, Florida with a 13-night transatlantic crusing departing Barcelona on October 26.
From Port Everglades, the ship – latest within the Superstar Cruises fleet – will provide a wide range of cruises, principally 7-night sailings. Jap Caribbean itineraries will go to St. Maarten, St. Thomas, and Puerto Plata.
The Western Caribbean cruises are scheduled to go to Grand Cayman, both Bimini or Nassau in The Bahamas, and Labadee. As Labadee is being faraway from not less than a number of departures, and it’s doable the port could also be faraway from all of Superstar Ascent‘s Western Caribbean sailings.
Company booked on upcoming Superstar Ascent cruises with Labadee on the itinerary ought to keep in shut communication with Superstar Cruises in case of updates or alterations.
